1.1.1

Procurement should also maintain similar logs for communications with suppliers and subcontractors and other links in the supply chain.

1.2.1

Letters to the client are formal communications and should be signed only by the project manager. However, you are not going to be writing all the letters. Make sure you spend some time training your team into writing the letters in the style or format that you think is appropriate. It will save you a lot of hassle later. See Part V, Section A Completed Work.

1. If you are responding to contractual or contentious issues, put your response to one side for twenty‐four hours and reread and edit it before sending.
2. Have a clear subject heading and restrict the letter to that one subject. The subject should preferably be compatible with the filing system subjects.
3. The address of the person you are writing to should be on the left‐hand side. Use ‘Yours faithfully’ for people you haven't met or spoken to. Use ‘Yours sincerely’ for people you know, such as your opposite project manager.
4. State the purpose of the letter in the first paragraph. The last paragraph should state what action you expect from the recipient.

1.2.2

Remember that legally, offers and acceptances for goods and services by letter are deemed to have been made when they are posted.

1.2.3

See Part V, Section B Coordination Procedure, paragraph 2.2, for the administration rules covering letters.

1.3.1

These are semi‐formal and are often used to communicate internally to someone on a circulation list rather than the addressee, for example, your boss's boss!

1.3.2

In today's electronic world, these will be in e‐mail format. Memos in paper format will be used infrequently to emphasize the importance of the subject. A record of a paper memo is also more likely to be retained.

1.3.3

Memos of two pages should be written as separate documents and attached to an e‐mail, concisely stating what its purpose is.

1.4.1

Faxes should be treated as letters and be formatted and recorded as such. Their only advantages are the speed of transmission and documents are transmitted without taking extra hard copies.

1.4.2

Legally, offers and acceptances for goods and service' by fax are deemed to have been made when they are received. Consequently, for any important and, most importantly, any commercial communications, the fax should end with a statement: “Please sign and date receipt of this fax and send it back to us.”

This is necessary because one cannot prove that a fax has been received. The, now old‐fashioned telex had an advantage that is missing with facsimiles, namely, it had an electronic ‘handshake.’ As a result, it could be proved that the message had been received.

E‐mail and the ability to send attachments, really makes the fax redundant. However, the above comment concerning acknowledging receipt is also valid for e‐mails.

1.5.1

Transmittals are formal standard forms that act as cover letters for sending drawings, minutes of meetings, reports, and other documents to the client.

1.6.1

There is no doubt that paperwork is a real problem for most people, so do not add to it by indiscriminate circulation of documents, memos, and letters. Develop limited circulation lists for various topics, with only those names of people who need to know. You will have to explain to members of the team that you are not keeping secrets from them but endeavouring to make communication more efficient. In any case, copies are always available in the files. Get this approach agreed during the team‐building process.

1.7.1

These should only be used as reminders of something that has already been more formally communicated – for use by the project manager who gets in early before the rest of the team. However, personal contact gives an opportunity to gauge the reactions of the people being reminded.

2.1.1

This document (see Part V, Section B) establishes the formal communication channels for the project.

2.2.1

In a project context, minutes will not be a blow‐by‐blow transcript of the discussion but notes of the key points and the actions to be taken together with the person responsible. However, remember minutes are formal records that will be relied upon at later stages of the project and are likely to imply contractual obligations. Therefore, who writes them is important.

2.2.2

It is also useful for, say, the project controls coordinator/supervisor/manager, to write up all the mundane administrative/progress data minutes before the meeting.

2.3.1

The responsibility matrix (see Part IV, Section C Getting Organized, paragraph 3.1) is an essential tool formally defining who is accountable, who is consulted, and who is copied for information concerning key project functions and documents.

2.4.1

These are used formally when you want everybody to get the same message without the distortion produced by the verbal relaying of a message.

2.5.1

As project manager it is easy to sign off the formal procedures as approved without reading them. If you do so, you may be signing away your decision‐making and management control capability. So take the time to read them and question the authors.

2.6.1

Reports are mainly formal records of investigations and a record of project progress. They become a primary source of information at later stages in the project. See Section L on Report Writing.

2.7.1

These can be useful for formally updating the team on issues that they are not normally involved with, without the formality imposed by a presentation. They are most useful in updating personnel in remote locations or team members who are out of the office, for example, expeditors. It helps to make them feel that they have not been forgotten.

2.8.1

These are primarily a marketing tool and require careful design. If you intend to produce a brochure, then you will need to start collecting material at the start of the project.

2.9.1

These are the formal definition of the project, for example, the terms of reference, the statement of requirements, the product breakdown structure, specifications or requisitions, whereas sketches are informal documents to aid the development of the formal drawings. The formal documents to be used and distributed on the project should be listed on a document distribution matrix, forming part of the coordination procedure, (See Part V, Section D for a list of project documents).

2.9.2

Controlling the issue number of documents is a key concern. Everyone must be using the same/latest information. A document control system is essential.

3.1.1

It is a more difficult process to use than it seems. You either see the whole group, but cannot distinguish expressions or body language, or you see one or two people in close up but do not know or see the person making the interruption.

3.1.2

An effective chairperson is essential, and rules need to be agreed. Discipline in preventing interruptions and over talk is vital. There must be an absolute bar on any side conversations between team members.

3.1.3

Make sure everyone knows each other from previous face‐to‐face meetings. Spend a little money and get everyone to meet each other (during team‐building sessions) before using this mechanism.

3.1.4

For projects with multiple locations, this can save a lot of travel costs (time and money) in getting people together to resolve problems.

3.2.1

The problem with the telephone is that the interruption always seems to take precedence. Consequently, it can be very disruptive to getting work done.

3.2.2

As indicated in 1.1 of this section, make sure that a summary of any formal conversations are recorded and logged. All agreements made with the client on the telephone should be confirmed in writing (through the project manager) within, say, three working days.

3.2.3

With careful planning, significant monies can be saved by restricting the telephones of certain members of the team from making national or international calls.

3.3.1

Like video conferencing, the quality of the process is very dependent on the technology. Again it can be useful in saving the costs of people having to travel.

3.3.2

Once more, a chairperson is needed. It needs rules to be agreed and requires discipline. Interruptions/over talk can stop everyone from hearing what is being said.

3.4.1

These cannot be ignored but should only be regarded as informal personal communication tools. Nonetheless, expeditors and inspectors in the field will find them useful for instantaneous reporting.

3.5.1

There is no doubt that this mechanism is the biggest problem and poses the biggest challenge. When people tell me that they have 200 to 300 or more e‐mails to read every morning, I know that we have not yet learnt how to use this communication channel effectively.

3.5.2

If it must be used, which it will be, the e‐mail should clearly indicate its communication category by being formatted as a formal letter or as a semi‐formal memo. However, since all letters to the client must be signed by the project manager, they are less likely to be used in this manner. Consequently, they become an internal communication tool and can take the place of the hard‐copy memo. However, unless hard copies are taken as a policy, there is no permanent record, and they then take the place of a verbal communication. E‐mails, therefore, become the non‐oral communication tool between remote locations.

3.5.3

Discuss the problems of e‐mails with the project team, decide how they are to be used, issue clear instructions, and stick to the rules.

3.5.4

Here are some guidelines to help make e‐mails more effective:

1. Try to make your objective clear in the subject heading, that is, what you hope to achieve with the e‐mail.
2. Develop a coding system to be used in the heading to indicate what is expected of the recipient. For example, A.R. – Action Required. R.R. – Response Required. Include a date for completion of the action.
3. If you have to write a long e‐mail (people are less likely to read them properly), summarize it briefly in the e‐mail and put the rest of the detailed material in an attachment.
4. Break up large chunks of text with headings and bulleted lists.
5. Divide the text into important facts, actions, targets, reasons and supporting background, and justification information.
6. Also see Section L Report Writing, subsection 8 that provides some guidelines to make the text more effective.

3.6.1

This mechanism should only be used for informal communication. It has the disadvantage over voice communication in that voice tones cannot be interpreted. Nevertheless, it has the advantage of being less disruptive in that the receiver of the message can read the message when it is convenient to them. Consequently, it should not be used for urgent communications – unless it is the only mechanism available.

3.7.1

Used for copying presentations to remote locations and for publicity purposes.

3.7.2

If you intend to make a video of your interesting project, you will wish that you had started it at the beginning of the project.

3.7.3

CDs are useful for project long‐term records where hard copy is not a requirement.

3.8.1

The Internet becomes a black hole, sucking in man hours. Think about banning it except for those personnel with a genuine need to research companies, for example, the project procurement manager.

3.8.2

The Intranet is the source of all company standard documents and data. It can also be useful to establish a project website for project documents and data, as well as using it as a problem‐solving forum.

3.8.3

A file transfer protocol (FTP) site is used for transferring files that are too large for e‐mail attachments and get blocked by the company IT firewall. E‐mail the recipient with the link to the site and specific document.

4.1.1

Oral communication takes on the formality, or otherwise, of the situation. For example, a meeting will be formal, but a discussion with the client in a pub is semi‐formal. A discussion with a member of the client team can never be informal.

4.1.2

Learn to read body language. Individual gestures can reveal how someone is feeling (people cannot disguise making certain expressions or gestures). However, it is combinations of body language that give the most certain confirmation of someone's feelings. For example, arms folded across the chest gives a negative message, but they may only be relaxing. On the other hand, arms folded and pushing their chair backwards is a definitive opting‐out message.

4.2.1

When people are in meetings, they are not working. Consequently, it is important to find mechanisms to keep them short. See Section C Managing and Conducting Meetings.

4.2.2

In projects that are spread out over a number of work sites, it is useful to have a quick (ten minutes) update or morning report meeting. This makes sure that everyone is up to speed with what is going on and what is anticipated during the day. The meeting should be held standing up so that people don't get comfortable and prolong the meeting. Alternate the location of the meeting between the different sites.

4.2.3

Meetings are used in different ways in different cultures (see Part V, Section C Cultural Issues, paragraph 3.1 m and n). For example, the British tend to use meetings to resolve issues, whereas, the French tend to use them to announce decisions. There is merit in the French approach. Have a private meeting (perhaps in a social environment) with your opposite project manager and manage the meeting to agree the decisions.

4.3.1

See Section G, subsection 2, dealing with the format for a formal presentation to inform. A presentation to inform should be used for good news. You want everyone to receive the message without distortion. Consequently, it should be delivered to everyone at the same time.

4.4.1

This is used to defuse or dissipate the effect of bad news. Let the bad news seep out in its worst form so that when the real situation is announced, people are relieved that it was not as bad as they thought.

4.4.2

Deliberate use of misinformation is even more dangerous. Nevertheless, it could be used in a tendering context by the responsible business development manager.

5.1.1

Make sure that you arrange to have tea and coffee facilities available in a convenient location. A lot of discussion, exchange of ideas, and status updating takes place in this informal environment. Drink more tea!

5.1.2

Visiting the social area should be part of your MBWA routine. See Section B Leadership and Motivation.

5.2.1

You are fortunate if your company is far‐sighted enough to have a canteen or other informal social relaxation areas. Most people will open up in this environment and talk about work during the lunch break. You will then have a management or problem‐solving meeting every day!

6.1.1

Used in the same manner as DVDs and CDs but is probably a redundant technology now – except in less‐developed environments.

6.2.1

Most events on a project are one‐off occasions, and formal records should be kept for progress recording, potential publicity opportunities, and dispute resolution. Make sure that an appropriate spread of photographs is always taken from the same viewpoint(s) each month or week, for record purposes and for the construction manager's monthly report.

6.2.2

Informal photographs for newsletters and other purposes are taken as and when needed.

6.2.3

A display of photographs in the project conference room can help home‐office personnel understand the needs of the site people.

8.1.1

In a negotiation, they may start to cut their own deal if they have been hired locally. After all, they will be living, and possibly working, with your counterpart after you have gone. I had to call for a ‘time out’ without our translator on one such occasion.

9.1.1

The managing director of the U.K. office of one of the leading contractors told me that his biggest problem was that his bosses in the States had read all the data before he got to the office!